SALEM, Ore. – For the third straight year, Abby Olbrich walked away with some serious hardware after competing in the USTA/ITA Pacific Northwest Fall Championships. This year’s event, hosted by Willamette University, concluded Monday at the Courthouse Tennis Club.

Olbrich, the top seed in singles, lost in the finals to Whitman’s Alyssa Roberg, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, by a score of 6-2, 6-4.

The senior opened the tournament with three straight wins over Puget Sound’s Devin Fields (6-2, 6-1), Willamette’s Emily Funabiki (6-1, 6-0) and Whitworth’s Saryn Mooney (6-0, 6-1). In the quarterfinal round, she defeated the No. 5 seed, Courtney Lawless of Whitman by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 and then topped the No. 7 seed, Whitworth’s Erica Bosman, 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals to secure her place in the title match.

Olbrich also teamed with new partner Caroline Brigham (Jr., Eagle, Idaho) to advance to the championship match in doubles play. Whitman’s Roberg and Courtney Lawless defeated the third-seeded Linfield duo 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 to claim the tournament crown.

Individually, Brigham advanced to the quarterfinals in singles play, losing to Morgan Lawless of Whitman in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.

With the victories, Roberg and Lawless earned a place in the National Small College Tennis Championships, held later this month in Mobile, Ala.

‘CAT SCRATCH: Olbrich was the runner-up in both singles and doubles in 2010 and the tournament championship in both competitions as a sophomore in 2009…she and Brigham competed for the first time as doubles partners.